His Brother
by Lady Simantha
Summary: His brother was... not who he thought him to be. The day Cadis' became the Noblesse. Now AU.
This is a haunted tale, a sorrowful story. AU, It did not leave me alone until it was written, so from the brother in chapter 395.

The canon reveals have made it even less canon grounded than when it was originally written.

* * *

His brother, his twin, a mirror of himself if you looked past the wavy hair that would become curled had his brother decided to grow it longer. A noble who, through _his_ own hard work and efforts, had developed _his_ strength to that of pureblood. Everyone who had attended their Coming of Age ceremony had felt it. The difference in their strength.

He did not begrudge his brother, he had never desired strength. As a noble he was already strong enough. It was his brother who made the effort to reach out for desirable things and then he would turn around and give them to others. Strength could not be gifted but it could be used to fulfil Noble duty as the protectors of humanity. That honour had been bestowed on all of them.

It was his brother that would pull him away from his studies to see and talk to people. It was his brother that made the manor a home. His brother who would call him to look out the window and see the world. Pointing out all the separate parts and murmured about how they all came together into something greater than the total of each, a whole.

He had over his brother a deep understanding of the lore. A patience that lasted longer than a few days, longer than it took stone to wear away under a water fall, brother had tested that. He smiled more often back then. Trusted all was right with the world. He would read stories of the great heroes of his kind. Whose souls were tested in fire but did not burn, the various titles that would be bestowed upon them and wonder if his brother would earn one.

Those times did not survive eternity.

O.O

"Cadis come on! You need to see the results of my quest, it was a success!" Brother smiled with great cheer.

"You always succeed in your quests. Why are you so excited this time?" I questioned in good humour. He was always excited when he had something new to tell me.

"Ah, Cadis just follow me." I did, as I had always done when he dragged me away from home.

He led me far from Lukedona, which was rare but no unprecedented. I thought we were going to see the humans again. As long as we stiffed our presence they would not think much of us, not even realise we were there. Brother kept going, past the human place he brought me before and still further. A few days past and I began to worry. This was no short jaunt in the human world that would be simply over looked.

I was just about to voice this concern when brother spoke again. This time not simple small talk, the art I had never grasped.

"It's just on that mountain Cadis. We won't be long now!" That was good it would not do if we failed to return before the next full moon.

We may be in our Majority but everyone still considered us young. Certainly no one else had decided to be a parent since our own. Brother lead me to a cave near the peak of the mountain, there were no humans near here. The closet ones at the foot, on the far side.

He presented me with a box of three red stones. They looked like short double sided stakes, the type humans use to kill mutants. Then he claimed to have discovered a way to share power with others, explained how it was not all his own work. I could feel it the power in those 'blood stones' it repulsed me for reasons I didn't then know. Every gain in power had its price. Brother had toiled for decades to reach his current strength, he should know. Yet, he presented an object that could give so much power without a price?

I suggested we make them an offering to the Lord, who with his wisdom could allocate such power.

I still remember the way his smile dropped from his face as he told me we could not do that.

How he stabbed himself with one to show me why. When I backed away, refusing his offer. The force that threw me, far harder then he must have intended, into the walls. The pain in my back as he stabbed me with the other two stones. The power that flooded my veins and the souls it was made from. The agony of my own soul as the whispers for power, _blood and power_ , tried to undermine my will.

 _I don't remember the scream I released, it was said to be loud enough that the Lord heard from the throne room in Lukedona. All the clan leaders did, and they all came to respond. Too late._

I remember hearing a voice whisper in my ear that we could both be strong now, stronger then we were even now. We just needed to gather blood and soul from the humans.

It is Noble duty to protect humans. Feeling the painful whispers race through my blood I did the only thing I could still think to do. I attacked the voice that had threatened humans, as any noble woul-should do.

Power surged, blood flew, I cannot recall what was mine and what was yours' brother. That fight is a blur in my memory.

When the voice was gone and blood and soul began to rain. The whispers attacking my will focused on the power they could absorb through my skin. I immediately grasped the chance to silence them, contain them. It robbed them of the ability to absorb external soul and power. Reduced them to feeding on my own.

I came to myself an hour before the Lord arrived or maybe it was just minutes. Such time keeping was forgotten in the wake of revelation.

The half levelled mountain around me, the feeling of your presence and my own. I realised you were dead at my hand. A dazed blank glance showed the village at the foot had been bombarded; it was difficult to believe any human there could have survived. _I was told some of them had, much latter._

I ended up staring at my hands clear of blood. The ruined clothes that spoke with greater honesty of the occurrence.

It was the Lord who arrived first, he asked me what had happened. Sword in hand. I could not find the voice to reply. I sent him a jumbled recollection of what had just happened instead. He was the Lord who lead with authority over the world, he would know what to do.

The Lord finished sorting out the barrage of images and sensations I sent as the other clan Leaders arrived. They could see the signs of the fight, realised I was responsible. Some of them prepared to attack. The Lord stoped them, asked who knew anything of my brothers activities. Gejutel admitted some knowledge which he revealed in full. The Lord informed him of the full crime he had been accessory to; then gave him a pardon from the sentence of eternal sleep. He was to be given another punishment instead.

Finally the Lord turned to me and bestowed upon me the title of Noblesse, told me my new duty was to be the Guardian of Nobles. Explained quietly with the clan leaders present, exactly what I would guard them from. Not simple threats, for Nobles must deal with their own issues. Guard against the abuse of power, the corruption of honour. To protect them from themselves, it was left unsaid but was heard by all.

I nodded my acceptance.

Still too numb to speak or remember all kneeled when addressing the Lord.

When the Lord dismissed Ragnarok which he had called in the expectation of a fight, the clan leaders shivered at what they felt of _my_ power. In their minds they placed me on level with the Lord, he did not tell them otherwise. _It became a story they would only tell their heirs_.

It started to sink in then; I was not the guardian of humans but the inquisitor of the nobles. I had been granted a title by the Lord himself, with it a duty. One that explained the lives that had been lost that day also those still to be taken.

You see my brother he did not work alone. There were likely still cursed blood stones out there. Certainly more who had plotted to use the humans _they are honour bound to protect_ for power.

Some things were very wrong with the world. It was my duty to stop dangerous those with power before they got worse. My task as a person of power, the symbol of Power.

O.O

His brother was not dishonoured; his efforts had erased his brothers' shame. He had discovered the price of power for he had become power. He had become the Lords peer and given a mansion of his own. Only the Clan Leaders knew what happened. He had a duty to guard the honour of nobles, their every existence.

The Noblesse was what he was; Cadis Etrama di Raizel was who he was.

All the stories of honoured beings ended when their soul was tested with fire, his had just began. Even after he retired to his mansion _imprisoned himself._ He could not rest, he still must guard the nobles from the cursed blood stones. The legacy his brother had left. Guard them from the whispers of powers allure, which striped a person of their honour and made them no more than a monster.

Many years past and he looked out the window, where the sky, the ground and the trees made a whole that was greater than the sum of its parts; all very special things. Everything.

* * *

Yeah, so that linked Noblesse the title, brother, blood stones and power all together with a vague memory of Gejutel being identified as the traitor who was pardoned by the Lord when Franken first come to Lukedona.

I used the physical description of his brother I found in the comment section along with the twin thing. I didn't look up any spoilers myself for this AU. [Another part of my mind is saying they were pureblood twins and Cadis got all the power, his brother made blood stones so he could catch up. Meaning the reason Cadis power is to great for his body to withstand is because he has/uses his brothers power to.] Before flash back was revealed. *sad*

Truth revealed, less people died in my story? 0.0 May the author repeat the action of clarifying short flash backs with longer ones later (see Urokai).

My next story will be happier and fluffier. Just you wait and see...and review please? You don't need an account, just type in the box and post.


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